A mop bucket cart that allows a mop bucket to be used on a relatively flat surface and allows a user to traverse one or more stairs with a mop bucket containing fluid by maintaining the bucket in a level position as the mop bucket cart is inclined to traverse one or more stairs.
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1. A mop bucket cart comprising:
a body, said body defining a central opening surrounded by a pair of opposing ends and a pair of opposing sides that are connected transversely to the end portions of said pair of opposing sides wherein each of said opposing sides has a height greater than the height of either of said pair of opposing ends and said body being supported by a plurality of casters;
a bucket carriage, said bucket carriage being pivotally attached to the pair of opposing sides and said bucket carriage being adapted to receive a mop bucket;
means for allowing said mop bucket cart to traverse one or more stairs while holding a mop bucket containing liquid wherein said means for allowing comprises
a rod, said rod extending from a first side of the pair of opposing sides of the body to a second side of the pair of opposing sides of the body and being located near the bottom of the sides and adjacent to a first end of the pair of opposing ends of the body; and
at least one pivoting support member, said at least one pivoting support member being pivotally connected to the rod;
whereby said at least one pivoting support member
prevents said bucket carriage from pivoting when said mop bucket cart is on a flat surface and
allows said bucket carriage to pivot when the mop bucket cart is tilted toward one of the ends of the body and
said means for allowing permits said bucket carriage to pivot and maintain the mop bucket in a level position when the mop bucket cart is inclined to traverse the stairs and wherein said means for allowing prevents the bucket carriage from pivoting when the mop bucket cart is on substantially flat ground.
3. A mop bucket cart capable of maintaining a mop bucket in a level orientation on a bucket carriage as the mop bucket cart traverses one or more stairs comprising:
a body, said body having
a rectangular frame defining a central opening and having a first pair of opposing sides that form the first and second sides of the body respectively and a second pair of opposing sides that form the first and second ends of the body respectively wherein each of the first pair of opposing sides have a first height and each of the second pair of opposing sides have a second height and the first height is greater than the second height by at least the height of the bucket carriage;
a first pivot caster connected to a bottom side of the frame at a corner portion of said frame defined by the first side of the body and the first end of the body;
a second pivot caster connected to the bottom side of the frame at a corner portion of said frame defined by the second side of the body and the first end of the body;
a first support caster connected to the bottom side of the frame at a corner portion of said frame defined by the first side of the body and the second end of the body;
a second support caster connected to the bottom side of the frame at a corner portion of said frame defined by the second side of the body and the second end of the body;
a third support caster connected to the bottom side of the frame at a point on the second end of the body intermediate the location of the first support caster and the second support caster;
a rod, said rod extending from the first side of the body to the second side of the body and being located near the bottom of the sides and adjacent to the first side of the body; and
a U-shaped handle with the open ends of the U being connected to the first side of body and the second side of the body proximal to the first end of the body;
the bucket carriage, said bucket carriage being pivotally attached to the first and second sides of the body and said bucket carriage having a pair of opposing triangular sides interconnected the at their lower vertices by a pair of cross-members with each of said triangular sides being adjacent to one of the sides of the body wherein each of the cross-members has an L-shaped cross-section with the base of the L extending toward the other cross-member;
a pair of pivoting support members, each said pivoting support member having
a first end portion, said first end portion defining a hole sized to receive the rod about which said pivoting support member rotates;
a second end portion having a caster attached to the underneath portion of said second end portion and having an upper surface opposite said caster whereby when the caster on said pivoting support member is engaged with flat ground simultaneously with the casters connected to the body the upper surface of said pivoting support member engages the bucket carriage and prevents the bucket carriage from rotating and whereby said pivoting support member rotates away from the bucket carriage when the mop bucket cart is rotated about the pivot casters connected to the body allowing the bucket carriage to rotate freely; and
a stair climbing mechanism attached to each side of the body, each said stair climbing mechanism being aligned with the adjacent pivot caster to effect a smooth transition from said stair climbing mechanism to the adjacent pivot caster as the mop bucket cart traverses a stair.
2. The mop bucket cart of
said at least one pivoting support member includes
a first end portion, said first end portion defining a hole sized to receive said rod about which said pivoting support member rotates and
a second end portion having a caster attached to the underneath portion of said second end portion and having an upper surface opposite said caster whereby when said caster on said pivoting support member is engaged with flat ground simultaneously with the casters connected to the body the upper surface of said pivoting support member engages the bucket carriage and prevents the bucket carriage from rotating and whereby said pivoting support member rotates away from the bucket carriage when the mop bucket cart is rotated about the pivot casters connected to the body allowing the bucket carriage to rotate freely.
4. The mop bucket cart of
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1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to mop buckets and carts for mop buckets, and more specifically to mop bucket carts that can traverse stairs while maintaining the mop bucket in a level position.
2. General Background of the Invention
Known mop buckets and mop bucket carts are frequently equipped with wheels or casters that allow them to traverse ground that is generally flat. But many locations in which mopping is required comprise more than one relatively flat level that are interconnected by stairs. In such locations, the person using a standard mop bucket or mop bucket cart is forced to choose between the equally unpleasant options of (1) lifting the mop bucket or mop bucket cart containing eight or more gallons of water and carrying it up or down the stairs or (2) emptying the mop bucket on the current level and refilling it on the second level.
The first option is unpleasant because the weight of eight gallons of water alone is more than 64 pounds. Trying to maneuver such a large, unstable weight up or down stairs could easily result in a significant injury if the person carrying the mop bucket were to trip. Moreover, having to lift and carry such a weight on a frequent basis could result in lower back or other physical problems.
The second option is equally unpleasant for at least three reasons. First, this option increases the consumption of materials because the cleaning solution in the mop bucket will frequently be discarded before it needs to be. Second, this option requires redundant infrastructure to be in place on each level—namely facilities to empty and refill the mop bucket on each level. Finally, this option will result in a loss in productivity since the employee will spend more time emptying and refilling the mop bucket.
The present invention resolves this problem by allowing the employee to traverse stairs with a filled mop bucket without having to lift and carry the mop bucket. Thus, the employee is not forced to choose between the unpleasant alternatives discussed above.
The present invention relates to a mop bucket cart comprising a body, said body having a first side, a second side opposing said first side, a first end interconnecting a first end portion of the first side to a first end portion of the second side, and a second end interconnecting a second end portion of the first side to a second end portion of the second side; a bucket carriage, said bucket carriage being pivotally connected to opposing first and second side of said body; and at least one pivoting support member, said at least one pivoting support member being pivotally connected to the body; whereby said at least one pivoting support member prevents said bucket carriage from pivoting when said mop bucket cart is on a flat surface and allows said bucket carriage to pivot when said mop bucket cart is tilted toward one of the ends of the body.
For a further understanding of the nature, objects, and advantages of the present invention, reference should be had to the following detailed description, read in conjunction with the following drawings, wherein like reference numerals denote like elements and wherein:
As illustrated in
Still referring now to
Still referring to
Referring again to
The corresponding lower vertices 202d and 204d of sides 202 and 204 are interconnected by L-shaped cross-members 210 and 212. The bottom portion of the L shape of cross-members 210 and 212 projects inward toward the center to mop bucket cart 1. The upper surfaces of the bottom portions of the L shape of cross-members 210 and 212 are of sufficient length and spaced sufficiently apart to receive a standard ten gallon mop bucket (shown in
Still referring to
Referring now to
As mop bucket cart 1 is rotated to an upright position on flat ground after traversing stair S, bucket carriage 200 pivots with respect to mop bucket cart 1 to maintain bucket B in an upright position. As mop bucket cart 1 is rotated into its upright position, casters 304a and 304b on pivoting support members 300a and 300b respectively reengage with ground G. Once casters 108 and 116 are again in contact with flat ground G, upper side 308a of pivoting support member 300a again engages bottom surface 202f of side 202 of bucket carriage 200 and upper side 308b of pivoting support member 300b again engages bottom surface 204f of side 204 of bucket carriage 200 such that pivoting support members 300a and 300b again prevents bucket carriage 200 from pivoting. And in the illustrated embodiment, reversed stop blocks 126 and 128 prevent bucket carriage 200 from pivoting away from handle 20.
While the use of two pivoting support members 300a and 300b is illustrated, mop bucket cart 1 could alternatively utilize only a single pivoting support member. Similarly, mop bucket cart 1 could utilize a single reverse stop block rather than the two that are illustrated.
In the alternative embodiment illustrated in
While the above describes the illustrated embodiment, those skilled in the art may appreciate that certain modifications may be made to the apparatus and methodology herein disclosed, without departing from the scope and spirit of the invention. Thus, it should be understood that the invention may be adapted to numerous rearrangements, modifications, and alterations and that all such are intended to be within the scope of the appended claims.
Cunningham, Thomas, Hopkins, John
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Executed on | Assignor | Assignee | Conveyance | Frame | Reel | Doc |
May 04 2007 | Cunningham Hopkins, LLC | (assignment on the face of the patent) | / | |||
May 14 2007 | HOPKINS, JOHN | Cunningham Hopkins, LLC | ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST SEE DOCUMENT FOR DETAILS | 019316 | /0554 | |
May 15 2007 | CUNNINGHAM, THOMAS | Cunningham Hopkins, LLC | ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST SEE DOCUMENT FOR DETAILS | 019316 | /0554 |
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